Statistics: Violent crime spikes in Long Beach in 2012

LONG BEACH - Violent crimes in Long Beach have spiked this year, and property crime has increased by more than 10 percent, police reported Tuesday.

Violent crime - murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault - totaled 1,167 crimes as of May 31, an increase of 5.8 percent from last year.

According to the statistics delivered to the City Council's Public Safety Committee, there have been 15 murders in the city year-to-date. There were 10 murders at the same point in 2011.

Rapes have risen 43.2 percent, to 53 crimes. Robberies have gone up by 0.8 percent, to 492 crimes, and aggravated assaults have jumped 6.9 percent to 607 offenses.

Police expressed concern at a bump in property crimes, which are up 10.7 percent this year. Burglaries from garages have increased 102.9 percent, to 213 incidents. Residential burglaries have also accelerated by

Administrative Bureau Chief Braden Phillips said that while 2010 crime statistics were the lowest in 40 years, a combination of factors - economic difficulties, fewer officers on the streets and the state's release of nonviolent, nonsexual and non-

gang offenders - may be contributing toward higher crime rates in the past two years.